Chapter 13 Flashcards
ABCs
Airway- is the patient’s airway open and clear
Breathing- is the patient breathing adequately
Circulation- does the patient have an adequate pulse or is there any serious bleeding
accessory muscle use
muscles of the neck, chest, and abdomen that can assist during respiratory difficulty
AVPU scale
classifications of levels of responsiveness
Alert- patient will be awake and interacting with their environment
Verbal- patient appears unresponsive but will respond to loud verbal stimulus
Painful- patient does not respond to verbal stimulus, they may respond to painful stimuli such as a breastbone rub or pinch on the shoulder
Unresponsive- patient does not respond to verbal or painful stimuli
baseline vital signs
the very first set of vitals signs obtained on a patient
body substance isolation (BSI) precautions
the practice of using specific personal protective equipment to minimize contact with a patient’s blood and body fluids
brachial pulse
the pulse that can be felt in the medial side of the upper arm between the elbow and shoulder
DCAP-BTLS
rapid trauma assessment D- deformity or discoloration C- contusions A- abrasions P- punctures or penetration B- burns T- tenderness L- lacerations S- swelling
capillary refill
the return of blood in the capillaries of the skin- typically in 2 seconds or less
carotid pulse
the pulse that can be felt on either side of the neck, adjacent to the trachea
chief complaint
the main medical complaint as described by the patient
crepitus
a grating noise or the sensation felt when broken bone ends rub together
dorsalis pedis pulse
the pulse located on the top of the foot
focused secondary assessment
an examination conducted on stable patients, focusing on a specific injury or medical complaint
general impression
the first informal impression of the patient’s overall condition
guarding
the protection of an area of pain by the patient; the spasms of muscles to minimize movement that might cause pain
immediate life threats
any condition that may pose an immediate threat to the patient’s life, such as problems with the airway, breathing, circulation, or safety
interventions
actions taken to correct or stabilize a patient’s illness or injury
jugular vein distention
an abnormal bulging of the veins of the neck indicating cardiac compromise or possible injury to the chest
manual stabilization
the process of restricting the movement of an injured person, individual, or limb with one’s hands
mechanism of injury (MOI)
the force or forces that may have caused injury
medical patient
one who has or describes symptoms of an illness
nature of illness (NOI)
what is medically wrong with the patient; a complaint not related to an injury
paradoxical movement
movement of an area of the chest wall in the opposite direction to the rest of the chest during respiration- an indication of chest wall trauma
patient assessment
a standardized approach for performing a physical exam and obtaining a medical history on a patient
primary assessment
a quick assessment of the patient’s airway, breathing, circulation, and bleeding to detect and correct any immediate life-threatening problems
radial pulse
the pulse can be felt on the anterior aspect of the wrist, on the same side as the thumb
rapid secondary assessment
a quick head-to-toe assessment of the most critical patients
reassessment
the last step in patient assessment, used to detect changes in a patient’s condition
- includes repeating initial assessment
- reassessing and recording vital signs
- checking interventions
scene size-up
an overview of the scene to identify any obvious or potential hazards
- taking BSI precautions
- determining scene safety
- identifying the MOI or NOI
- determining the number of patients and need for additional resources
secondary assessment
a complete head to toe physical exam including medical history
track marks
small dots of infection, scarring, or bruising that form a track along a vein, may be an indication of IV drug abuse
trauma patient
one who has a physical injury caused by an external force
tracheal deviation
a shifting of the trachea to either side of the midline of the neck caused by the buildup of pressure inside the chest (tension pneumothorax)
